Don't Hold Your Breath
by Little-Miss-Badass
Summary: Shortly after sleeping with Rose, Dimitri takes Tasha's offer. Rose turns to her friends and her training as a means to cope. When Rose goes missing, will Dimitri join her friends on a quest to find Rose? And what happens if Rose Hathaway is gone forever?
1. Excuse me?

**Hi, this is my first FanFic, and I hope you like it. Even if you don't please review and tell me what I'm doing wrong.**

**Thanks, Little-Miss-Badass.**

**Disclaimer: The wonderful, talented Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy, not me. I will find a way to steal Dimitri though, Rose or no Rose, Richelle or no Richelle, law or no law. **

Don't Hold Your Breath: Chapter 1: Excuse me?

_You can't touch me now,_

_There's no feeling left,_

_If you think I'm coming back,_

_Don't hold your breath…_

I pummelled the punching bag as hard as I could, pretending it was Belikov's face. The lyrics of the song fuelled my adrenaline as I gave the bag all I had. The bastard had left me and when- if- he ever came back, he was going to be in for a shock. I was ready to be the superior badass now- I had taken to training as a means to cope with him leaving me for Tasha just days after he had slept with me and taken my virginity. I had come clean with all my friends (including Mia) and they had been talking to me about it and had actually been helping me train. I think they were as eager to see me crush Belikov as much as I was.

_What you did to me,_

_Boy I can't forget,_

_If you think I'm coming back,_

_Don't hold your breath…_

The song finished and I punched the bag one last time. The rope it was supported by groaned and snapped under the pressure. I walked away, panting, my chest rising and falling with each breath I took. I downed a bottle of water and slung a towel round my shoulders before running up the stairs to the ground floor of Lissa and Christian's (and mine and Eddie's by default) mansion. Being royal Moroi, Lissa and Sparky had more than enough money to install a gym in their basement for mine and Eddie's benefit. Living with royal Moroi had its perks.

I made my way to my room- the first few days I had needed a map to find my way through the different passageways. Come on, this place was fucking huge, and we all know I'm not the best with directions. When I finally made it into my room, I chucked my training clothes into the antique, very expensive linen basket (Lissa Dragomir = very rich neat freak) and practically threw myself under the hot spray of the shower. Fucking hell, that felt nice. Of course, Sparky had to spoil my small piece of heaven by turning off the water. Boy was he going to get it when I got downstairs.

I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel round my body. My fists were clenched and my eyes were narrowed. Sparky, Sparky, Sparky. What have you got yourself into? I grinned at my reflection in the mirror. Damn, this was going to be fun.

I pulled on a black lacy Victoria's Secret bra and pants set that Lissa had bought for me at the weekend, a sexy red cami, tight black skinny jeans, a black feminine biker jacket and five inch black stiletto boots. To finish off the look, I left my hair down and put on some make-up. Clear lip-gloss and mascara made me look classy, but dangerous and badass. I was ready to roll.

Just before I left my room, I went into Lissa's head to see if she was with Sparky, who was probably hiding. Well, if he wanted to live, he should be hiding. I really was looking forward to getting my revenge on him.

What I saw in Lissa's head shocked me. Sparky wasn't hiding; he was standing in plain view in the lounge. Did the little fireball think his girlfriend was going to protect him? Sparky frowned at Lissa, though I couldn't understand why. Were they having a lovers tiff or something? Then Lissa's gaze swept the rest of the room and my heart stopped. There in the corner was the man-stealing bitch Tasha Ozera and her player guardian, Belikov.

As though Lissa could feel my presence in her head (she probably could; I'd have to ask her about that later) she sent me a message through the bond saying, _Remember to breathe, Rose. Just breathe._ I had a feeling that her words were meant to be soothing and calming, but the annoyance and disgust in her voice towards the skank and her Russian mountain only made me want to kill them more. Anyone who makes Lissa feel that way- dark and unstable- dies painfully.

Lissa stifled a small laugh, and thought to me, _Yeah, Rose, you got it in one. Tasha really is a skank and Belikov does kinda look like a mountain._ This surprised me so much that I was thrown out of Lissa's head and into my own mind.

_Rose?_ She asked.

_Yeah, Lissa?_

_What just happened?_

_I've been thinking the same thing. I was hoping you'd know._

_I don't know for sure, but I think our bond is two-ways now. _

_Why?_

_I really don't know, Rose._

I went back into Lissa's head and saw that everybody apart from Sparky was staring at her like she was a science experiment. Through the bond I could feel that she was feeling a mixture of emotions. 80% anger/ disgust at the skank and the mountain and 20% shock at the revelation of our newly extended bond.

"Oh, sorry, Christian." She apologized. I grinned; Lissa was really pissed off at the afore-mentioned skank and mountain.

"No problem, honey." He replied with a small grin.

Pulling myself out of Lissa's head, I made my way downstairs after locking my door. I had a lot of precious and/ or expensive stuff in my room, and I didn't want to take any chances when there were any unwanted, thieving, backstabbing visitors in our house. If the skank was capable of stealing the one man I loved, I wouldn't put stealing my most prized possessions too. As for the Russian, that backstabbing bastard didn't have the right to see anything to do with my personal life anymore.

When I was downstairs, I saw that the door to the lounge was closed. Taking a moment to collect my thoughts and prepare myself for all possibilities that could result from this meeting, I pushed the door open and took satisfaction in seeing everyone's mouths open. Including Lissa and the skank's. They weren't on the turn were they?

Just as I was going to open my mouth and ask them why the hell they were all staring at me like some mother fucking alien, Christian held up a hand and breathed,

"Fucking hell, Rose!"

I walked over to the mirror, still annoyed at Lissa and Christian for staring at me like that, and full on pissed at the skank and her Russian for just being here. I looked into the mirror and for the second time that day, my heart stopped. Fucking hell.


	2. Shadow Girl

**Hey guys, it's me! Thanks so much for all the reviews and all the favourites and alerts! It means a lot to me, so I decided to thank you by doing an extra-fast update for you guys! Here's Chapter 2!**

**Disclaimer: As always, Richelle Mead rubs the fact that I don't own Vampire Academy in my face. So yeah, I don't own VA. Richelle Mead does. Like always.**

Chapter 2: Shadow Girl

This time Lissa was too shocked to send anything through the bond to calm me down. It was almost a miracle that I didn't stop breathing.

I raised a shaking hand and touched my face. What the hell was wrong with me? My eyes were black. Pure black. I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths to try and steady my already unstable temper. That was when I slipped into Lissa's head again. Well, pulled was more like it. Like old times, when Lissa and Sparky used to have their late night rendezvous'.

I then saw what she, Sparky and the others were actually staring at. It wasn't my eyes, though personally I thought they were pretty creepy. It was what I couldn't see, unless I was a contortionist. They were staring at a new tattoo on the nape of my neck. It was an A entwined in tendrils of misty shadow (hey, I've come over all poetic! Cool!) with an intricately designed crown that was probably originally designed in the 1700's. God, I sounded like an old historian. At least my new found ability with words would be useful in Court, I guess.

Lissa's gaze then shifted down my body. In my own body I felt my eyes widen but in my mind, all I felt was utter disbelief. I looked like an assassin! OK, I sort of looked like a prostitute, but hey, an assassin all the same. A prostitute assassin if you may. I was wearing a red velvet mini-dress that ended mid thigh. The neckline was damn cool; it plunged in a V below my breasts, making me look hotter than ever.

Getting back to reality… Oooh, I feel dizzy being back in the real world… Anyway, back onto the pressing matters of my life (I could spend hours describing my outfit) Lissa shoved me out of her head and back into harsh, cold reality. Ouch, that burns!

It was then that I heard the skank laughing. No, I am not kidding, she was laughing. Nephew like Aunt, I see. They both had a death wish. First, Christian turning the water off (no, I still wasn't over that) and now the skank laughing at me when I felt my most vulnerable? Skank, you're going down!

I turned to face the skank and I took pleasure out of her scared expression. No, wait. Hold up. Let me change that. I took pleasure out of her _terrified_ expression. Not even her Russian mountain can save her now!

I don't exactly know what happened next, but whatever I did felt instinctive, like I'd done it before. Maybe I had, in a prior life. I raised my right hand and thought of the skank burning up in flames, and then guess what? It happened! For real! The skank was lost in a burning pyre of Hathaway flames. Burn, skank, burn!

Unfortunately, the skank, having specialized in fire and all, was fireproof. Still, the whole experience had been pretty damn good, except for the let down at the end. It was such a shame that Tasha was fireproof. In my head I heard Lissa agree and I burst out laughing. Lissa and Christian joined me, and Eddie, who had luckily been asleep through the first part of the nightmarish visit, ran through the door with his stake in his hand.

Deciding to free the Hathaway beast inside me a little, I said,

"Eddie. There's no danger. Oh yeah, there's two things. One, put your stake away. It's not a toy for little boys that can't handle the pressure. Two, your shirt's the wrong way round."

Eddie blushed and I petted him on the head. Then he looked at me properly.

"Holy shit, Hathaway! What made you hot?"

"Are you saying I wasn't hot before today?"

"Are you saying I can't handle the pressure?"

"I guess I am."

"Alright, guys! Break it up!" Lissa shouted, stepping in between us. This was probably a smart move; I had been about to replay the Flaming Tasha incident. It would have been worse this time, though, because Eddie wasn't fireproof.

"Cool down guys." Lissa continued. "Eddie, Rose, come outside with me and Christian. Eddie, we'll fill you in on the events of the past hour and Rose, can you try not to burn anything for just five minutes? At least until we're outside?"

"I'll try." I said, glaring over at where the Russian was tending to the skank. Hello, the skank's just looking for attention! Can't you see that? Dumb-ass!"

"Lady Ozera, Guardian Belikov. You can stay in guest-housing. It's on the other side of campus, so I suggest you get a taxi." Lissa's tone had chilled considerably. Inside my head I was cheering for her. _Go Lissa, go, go, go Lissa! _Then I got a message from Lissa. She'd heard the celebration in my head. _Go Rose, go, go, go Rose!_

Woo! This bond stuff was pretty damn cool, if you know what I'm saying. Private conversations and no more having to excuse ourselves to go to the bathroom during Council. Oh yeah, and girl time whenever we wanted to!

Lissa showed our 'visitors' the door, and then closed the door. She grinned, but tried to hide it.

"Lissa?" I tried to probe through her mind, but she had her mental blocks up. Lissa didn't answer me; instead she walked over to the massive surround sound stereo and put in a CD. There was peace and quiet for a couple of milliseconds and then Bon Jovi's 'Let It Rain' blasted through the house.

"Come on, Rose! Sing!" Lissa squealed.

"Do I have a choice?"

"No."

"Fine then."

I waited until the chorus and started singing along. As I was singing I imagined what it would be like if it could rain whenever I wanted to. Then two figures appeared in my imagination. The skank and the Russian. And then, like magic, it started to rain. We heard screams and grunts from outside. I started laughing so hard that my sides were aching. Lissa, Sparky and Eddie were on the floor beside me, laughing just as hard as me.

Then I remembered something. I grinned evilly and stood up.

"Sparky."

"Y-yeah?"

The others had all stopped laughing and were now watching our exchange like we were a movie.

"Remember this morning?"

"Yeah."

"When I was having a shower?"

Sparky turned deathly pale and he looked like he could faint at any moment.

"Yeah. Yeah I do."

"Well, guess what?"

"W-what?"

I loved intimidating Sparky.

"Well, some stupid fire using royal Moroi who goes by the name of Christian Ozera shut the fucking water off. Or, as I like to call this stupid fire using royal Moroi, Sparky. Now it's time to collect you revenge. Look on the bright side, since your fire-proof, I won't be using fire to help me get my revenge on you."

"What will you use?"

"My new found ability to control water!"

"That was you?" Eddie butted in.

"Stay out of this, Eddie!" Lissa scolded him. Me and Sparky resumed our little conversation.

"That's not a bright side!" he howled.

"It is for me." I said simply. "You've got ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight….. Sparky bolted for the door leading upstairs. Eddie followed him, to make sure he was protected at all times.

Lissa grabbed my arm and looked at me with pleading eyes. "Can I help my boyfriend?" she asked me.

"No. You would give away the surprise!"

"H-how am I part of the surprise?"

"Just watch and learn, Liss. Watch and learn."

With that, I flung Liss over my back and ran down to the basement. I unlocked the door to my changing room and handed Lissa a bag once we were inside. I took my own bag and waited for Lissa to see what was inside hers. Lissa looked into the bag, probed my mind and backed away from me.

"Hell no, Rose."

"Lissa?" I asked her.

"Yeah?"

"One thing: Hell yeah."

**So, did you like the second chapter? Thanks again for all those who favo****urited and alerted me and especially for all those who reviewed! If you like it, review, and Chapter 3 could be coming as quick as tomorrow!**

**Little-Miss-Badass**


	3. Operation Seductress Part 1

**Hi guys, sorry I didn't update quicker, but I was out for most of last night. Anyway here is Chapter 3, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Again, a big thanks to those who reviewed and favourited and alerted; it makes me so happy!**

**Thanks, Little-Miss-Badass.**

**Disclaimer:**** Today I think I'll get some good friends to do the disclaimer. Rose and Dimitri, it's your turn.**

**Rose: Why do I have to do it with him?**

**Dimitri: Roza?**

**Rose: I'm sorry; I hate you right now at this point in the story. I'm just getting into character.**

**Dimitri: You are a character.**

**Me: Get on with it!**

**Rose: OK, OK. Don't get your panties in a twist.**

**Dimitri: Panties?**

**Rose: Shut up. Little-Miss-Badass doesn't own anything to do with VA except the plot of the FanFic.**

**Me: Thankyou.**

Chapter 3: Operation Seductress: Part 1

"Rose… Let's talk about this… Please?" Lissa begged me.

"No, Lissa, and that's final. You're doing this with me and believe me, there's no way out. You either do it the hard way or the easy way. Anyway, it'll be fun."

"No, Rose, it won't. This won't be fun at all!"

"How is getting revenge on Sparky not fun?"

"He's my boyfriend, Rose!" she exploded. "And his name's Christian, not Sparky!"

"So what? Like I care about that. Now go get changed whilst I phone Mia. We're going to need her if we want to make Operation Seductress work."

"Operation Seductress?"

"Roll with it. Now really, go get changed. We've only got so much time to set this up!"

I shooed Lissa into the bathroom and collapsed into my fluffy red bean bag when she was inside. I took out my iPhone and called Mia. She answered on the third ring, like she always does. It's really weird. Really, really weird.

"Hi, Rose!" Mia said. "Did you give Lissa her bag?"

"As a matter of fact, I did."

"Oh my God! Has she seen what's inside it?"

"Yeah."

"Oh my God! Is it time for me to come and meet you guys?"

"Yeah, I suppose it is. Remember to bring your bag."

"Oh I'll remember. This is going to be so much fun!"

"Thankyou! Now I actually have someone that's as excited as I am about this! Lissa's acting up because Sparky's her boyfriend."

"So? I'm getting revenge on Eddie for what happened last week, and you're going to be getting revenge on Belikov for everything that he's done to you. Eddie's _my _boyfriend, and Belikov's your ex-lover. It's not like we've singled Sparky out or anything like that."

"I know. I haven't explained that bit to Lissa yet, though."

"What? No wonder she doesn't want to do this if you haven't told her how humiliated Belikov will be if we do this! Rose!"

"Calm down, calm down! I'll tell her when she comes out of the bathroom."

"Good. Look, I'm on my way. I'm warning you though. If I get there and you've not explained everything to Lissa, you're dead meat, Hathaway."

"You can't touch me, Rinaldi. I'm just too good."

"I disagree. Anyways, bye. I think I hear Lissa coming out of the bathroom."

She was right.

"OK, I'm going to tell her now. Bye, Mia."

"Bye Rose. I'm about ten minutes away."

"Sure thing."

I hung up and turned to Lissa.

"Perfect." I was really pleased with my work.

Lissa stood in front of me in a lacy lilac bikini, which complimented her skin tone perfectly. She raised an eyebrow. (I still can't do that, no matter how hard I try.)

"Rose, would you care to explain why you want me to look like this? How is me looking like this going to help you get revenge on Christian?"

"Well, Liss, we're going to be getting revenge on all of the boys, not just _Sparky_." I emphasized the word '_Sparky'_.

"You mean Adrian and Eddie? Rose, Adrian's in Morocco. How can you get revenge on him when he's not even in the same country as us?"

"Liss, even though it would be nice to get revenge on Adrian, we won't be. We're targeting Sparky, Eddie and Belikov. Sparky because of the little shower incident this morning, Eddie because of what happened last week and-"

"Oh my God! That was so funny last week! Eddie totally messed up!" Lissa was laughing so hard she'd had to sit down. Whoops, now she'd fallen off the chair. This sobered her up a little.

"Liss?" I asked cautiously.

"Sorry, Rose. Carry on. It was so funny though!"

"Right… Starting from where we left off, we're getting revenge on Sparky for the shower, Eddie for last week, and Belikov for-"

"Everything he's done to you! Oh, this is going to be fun!"

"Mia told me you'd be excited when I explained things properly."

"Mia's coming?"

"Yeah. We need her to get revenge on Eddie. And think about it. Eddie messed up and Mia was the one who was hurt. So, I think we should let her get revenge on him. Don't you?"

"Oh, definitely. I just love us some revenge."

I grinned at her and handed her a pink dressing gown. She pulled it on just as there was a knock at the door. Stepping in front of Lissa protectively, I looked through the peephole in the door. It was Mia. I opened the door and she rushed in, her bag in her arms.

"Rose, have you explained everything to Lissa? If you haven't, I'm going to kill you!"

"Jeez, calm down already. I've told Lissa everything. Now go get changed. Lissa's already in her 'costume' and all she needs done is her make-up and hair. The bathroom's over there."

Mia skipped over to the bathroom, she was that excited. She looked like a blonde fairy.

"Watch out for the pixie's, Mia," I called.

"Whatever, Rose."

"I grinned and ushered Lissa the chair at my desk. She sat down, and as she got comfortable, I took out all the make-up and hair stuff we would need for the plan.

"Right, Liss," I said to her as I curled her hair. "I'm going to do your hair whilst Mia gets changed, and then Mia will do your make-up so I can get dressed too. Mia will do my hair, you'll do my make-up, I'll do Mia's make-up and you do her hair. Then we'll be ready to put Operation Seductress into GO."

Lissa squealed; she loved doing make-over's. I rolled my eyes and grinned at her reflection in the mirror. Liss smiled back at me, showing her pearly white fangs.

The door to the bathroom opened and Mia stepped out wearing a sapphire blue bikini that matched her eyes. She looked great.

Lissa rushed over to Mia and brought her to her 'salon'. As she started straightening Mia's hair, she called over her shoulder,

"Rose! Go get changed! You'll need to do Mia's make-up and then we can get started on you!"

I grinned at her enthusiasm and excitement as I stepped into the bathroom with my bag in my hands. I shut the door and tipped the contents of my bag onto the floor. I quickly slipped off my clothes and pulled on the two smallest pieces of material ever. It was an extremely sexy blood red bikini that would probably be illegal to wear in public.

Getting ready to face the exclamations and 'Oh My God's' that were surely going to greet me when I stepped out of the bathroom, I unlocked the door and walked out. Mia's hair was done, and she and Lissa were sitting on a couple of beanbags. When they saw me, their jaws dropped. Then Mia said what I was sure was going to be on every girl's mind that day,

"Bloody, hell Rose. Are you sure you want to give every boy we see a heart attack?"

"Oh, she's sure." Lissa had a massive smile on her face.

"Then girls," I said, "Let's get to work. Operation Seductress is almost a GO."

**There you go. Chapter 3 for you. I hope ****you like it and enjoy reading it. Remember to review!**

**Thanks, Little-Miss-Badass. **


	4. Operation Seductress Part 2

**Hi guys, I'm back! I know it's been absolutely ages since I updated but I've been revising for my exams (they go on for all of next week) and I have had to revise for them loads! To make it up to you, I promise to put Chapter 5 up tomorrow. If I get enough reviews for these two chapters, I'll put Chapter 6 up that night or the morning after. Also, Lissa and Christian's mansion is on the edge of Court.**

**Thanks for waiting, Little-Miss-Badass.**

**Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns all rights to Vampire Academy. I only own the plot of this FanFic and any OC's that I might add in.**

Chapter 5: Operation Seductress Part 2

At this moment in time, I was sitting in a red velvet lined straight-backed chair in front of a massive oak wood dressing table. Mia was teasing my hair into long silky chocolate brown waves whilst Lissa worked wonders with my make-up. She brushed waterproof mascara on my eyelashes (we're in bikinis, remember) and then lined my lips with blood red lip-liner. She filled my lips in with a lipstick called Charged Cherry (a shade that looks brilliant on me) and finally slicked on some clear lip-gloss.

Happy with her work, Lissa stepped back and let Mia finish off my hair. Two minutes later, my hair was perfectly curled with the cascading waves of my hair shimmered in the light whenever I moved. I grinned at both of them and they grinned back. Two more hours, I thought. Then the boys will find out what the saying 'Payback is a bitch' really means.

Mia crossed over to the chair and sat down gracefully. Lissa stepped up behind her and started to heat the straighteners. Lissa was going to curl Mia's hair so it looked the same as ours. When the straighteners were heated, Lissa expertly curled Mia's hair whilst I chose what make-up I was going to use. I finally decided on a pink lipstick that was a couple of shades darker than the one Lissa was wearing (Mia had done Lissa's make-up when I was in the bathroom), some clear lip-gloss and a tube of waterproof mascara.

When all three of us were finally ready looks wise, I handed a dress that was the same lilac colour of her bikini to Lissa and a sapphire blue one to Mia. Of course, as you can probably guess, I was wearing a red halterneck dress.

"I think you mean you're wearing a red halterneck extremely _mini-_dress, Rose," Lissa said as she adjusted the straps on her pale gold strap-over shoes. I stared open-mouthed at Lissa, not understanding at all, until she tapped the side of her head and thought _Two-way bond, honey._

I grinned at her as I grabbed my black clutch purse that matched my shoes and then turned to Mia. Lissa got up and walked to my side so the three of us formed some sort of circle.

"Are you guys ready?" I asked them. I took the shit-eating grins on their face as my answer. Yes, they were ready to go.

"OK," I continued. "Let's go over the plan once more before we leave. First of all we go to the new poolside nightclub that's opened up on the other side of campus. Next step: we dance dirty in front of the boys and then we do all that is in our power to humiliate them. Just don't let them humiliate you. That is the only rule. Oh, I almost forgot. There are two rules. The second is that there is no actual touching or kissing allowed at all." I looked at Lissa hard whilst I said this.

"What? Oh come on, Rose. Yeah, I'll admit it. I'm not too happy about doing this to Christian, but if it means that Belikov and Eddie are humiliated, I can't wait!"

"That's the spirit!" I grinned.

"Tasteful joke, Rose," Lissa said wryly. I faked an innocent look in her direction. Lissa sighed and Mia rolled her eyes, exasperated.

"Now, have you got your phones?" I asked. They nodded. "Good. We might have to call each other at certain points during the evening."

I checked my phone was still in my clutch one more time and then I walked to the door. I opened it and checked the corridor for anybody who could harm my two best friends. Once I was sure that the coast was clear (and safe) I let Lissa and Mia join me in the passageway. We walked quickly through corridors that led us constantly down hill until we reached a statue that was Lissa's parents when she was young. I reached out and put pressure on the arm of statue. The wall suddenly turned and we were left looking at a hemispherical ledge. Lissa got on first, then Mia and finally me. Lissa pressed a brick in the wall of the ledge and the turning wall revolved once more.

We stepped off of the ledge and into a massive circular room. The room was furnished the way the three of us liked it. There were red, white and blue colours everywhere with hints of cream, gold and silver. There were a few marble surfaces and a couple of bronze antiques, but mostly it was dark brown and honey coloured old-fashioned wood. It was our favourite room ever. No one aside from the three of us and Lissa's parents (they had built it) knew about it. Lissa had told us that Andre had died before he was told about the room. Lissa herself knew about it because one day we had been exploring and we had found a letter addressed to her and Andre from their parents explaining how to get to the room and what it actually was.

At regular intervals around the room, there were old wood doors set deep inside the brick and marble of the walls. The three of us knew where every single door led. Most of them created an underground network of tunnels and rooms but a few select doors led aboveground to places around the campus. The one we were going to be using tonight popped up just outside _Underwater, _which was the new poolside nightclub that we were going to use to execute our plan. It was perfect.

We still had a little time before we had to go, so we decided to do what we usually never had time to do: we decided to _relax_. We slumped in the red armchairs by the roaring fire (taking care not to mess up our hair) and just let go. The fire blazed happily beside us, not growing smaller or colder at all. You see, Lissa's dad had been a fire user, and he had charmed the fire so that it never went out unless the temperature rose above a certain level. When the temperature dropped down back to its normal level, the fire would start up once again.

I looked at the massive antique grandfather clock that stood next to the entrance ledge and was shocked when I realized it was time to go.

"Umm… Lissa? It's time to go. Mia? Come on, it's time."

"OK, Rose, but we should freshen up before we go," Lissa told me.

"Good point, Lissa," Mia chimed in. "I brought our make-up and some hair-spray in my clutch." She opened the clasp on her purse and pulled out the required items. We reapplied our make-up, fixed our hair, and smirked at each other. We looked damn fine. I licked my finger and touched my ass. Ouch. Smoking hot. Lissa rolled her eyes but grinned at me whilst Mia laughed.

The passageway was steep and the girls were pretty tired by the time we got to the end. Me, being a dhampir and all, was not tired one little bit. All that training with _him _had really paid off.

We adjusted our shoes and dresses and then I turned the handle on the wood door that blocked our access to the world above. I stepped outside first, being careful not to whack my head on a low tree branch (yes, the door was a part of a tree trunk) and made sure that there was nobody lurking around outside. We were only a couple of yards away from the edge of the forest, which was where the back of the nightclub was. We had to be careful.

Motioning to Lissa and Mia to come outside but be careful, I subconsciously scanned the surrounding area. I am a promised Guardian after all; I have to protect my charge/ charges at all costs. And of course, my friends and family; I definitely needed to protect them. Lissa and Mia fit into both categories, so there was no chance in hell that anything was going to happen to them. I knew that there were wards, but it's better to be safe rather than sorry.

We quickly walked the couple of yards to the back of the nightclub, and then we sneaked around the side. We walked to the VIP line (a.k.a.- the royal line) and we were let straight in. Just before the music from the poolside became so loud that we couldn't hear each other properly, I looked at them before saying what I should have said earlier on.

"Whatever you do tonight, promise me that you will try your hardest to humiliate Tasha."

Just before the poolside music engulfed me, I heard the faint words of my two best friends.

"_I promise."_

**OK, there's another chapter for you. Remember to review and I'll update tomorrow. Once again, thanks for reading my story and favouriting and alerting and, of course, reviewing. You guys are the best!**

**Lots of love, Little-Miss-Badass. 3**

**P.S. I'm currently looking for a beta right now. If anybody would like to be my beta, please PM me or tell me in a review! Thanks!**


	5. The Execution of a Mastermind Plan

**Hey, guys! I'm back! Look, I'm really sorry that I've dropped off the face of the Earth, but I've just got back from Paris, New York and the Winter Olympic Resort, Sestriere, skiing. But now I'm back, hopefully updates will become more regular; at least twice a week. I'm also thinking about starting a new story, but it depends on what mood I'm in. For this chapter, please can we get my review total up to 45? Or higher, even? **

**Thanks for sticking with the story,**

**Little-Miss-Badass.**

**Chapter 5. **

**The Execution of a Mastermind Plan**

_Underwater_ was alive with the low beat of the deafening music and the pulse of the gyrating bodies on either side of me. As I made my way through the crowds, trying to get to the bar, I felt a hand on my ass, trying to slip up my dress. _In your dreams, _I thought, as I whirled around and punched the drunken guy in the gut.

As he backed away with his hands held up in a gesture of surrender, I realized it was Jesse Zeklos. I had just punched a Royal Moroi, and no one cared. I suddenly found I had a whole new fountain of respect and admiration for this place.

I finally made it to the bar, where Lissa and Mia were waiting, sitting on bar stools with sealed bottles of water. I gratefully took one, cracked it open, and took a giant swig. It was pretty hot in here. I twisted the lid back into place and slipped the bottle into my purse. I checked the time on my phone and nodded at the others. It was time.

The three of us slipped through the crowds, over the dance floor, and walked out of the door leading to the poolside. Lissa turned her head and whispered in my ear,

"I see Tasha and Belikov on the deckchairs by the VIP hot tub." As she leant closer to Mia to repeat this message, I glanced over to the hot tubs. As Lissa had said, Tasha and Belikov were lounging on the deckchairs by the VIP hot tub, and Tasha was flirting with every male there. Belikov was flirting with a brunette who looked like she was twenty-two years old, and I felt a sudden surge of emotion jolt my heart. I was shocked as I realized this emotion was…. Jealousy? Dear Lord.

As though sensing my discomfort, Lissa patted my arm sympathetically whilst Mia said,

"You are so much better looking than her. Belikov's just trying to deny his feelings for you by settling for girls who have a few of your features. E.g. the brown hair."

Surprised, I looked at Mia. Since when did she become a relationship expert? Mia grinned at me, and I shook my head and re-focused on my objective. _Humiliate Belikov, Sparky, Eddie and Tasha. Humiliate them so much that they'll never be able to show their faces in public for decades to come._

I was so wrapped up in my evil, scheming thoughts, (hey! I am a Hathaway, after all!) I didn't realize we had made it to the hot tubs. I felt a tug on my arm, and looked down annoyed. I thought it was another guy trying to feel me up, but it turned out to be Lissa. My annoyance evaporated immediately and I let her tug me over to the trees by the poolside bar.

Once we were there, Lissa put a finger to her lips and started to speak in a hushed whisper.

"Right, OK. Here's what we're going to do." Lissa pulled a mirror out of her purse and handed it to me before continuing. "We'll check our make-up and hair in this mirror, and then we'll go out and execute our plan." I think Lissa realized that Mia and I didn't fully understand why she had pulled us into the shadows of the trees, so she rolled her eyes and explained to us her reasons. "I pulled you over here because I saw Belikov was about to look in our direction, and I didn't want him seeing you just yet in case your make-up or hair was even slightly messed up."

I looked pointedly at her. I knew that was only one of her reasons. Lissa stared back defiantly before sighing and giving in.

"OK, that's not the only reason. You know me too well, Rose." She grinned ruefully at me. Mia chuckled and Lissa lightly slapped her on the arm. "I saw Christian sitting on the deckchair next to Belikov and I had a major panic attack."

Lissa looked at us, obviously expecting sympathy, so I tried to give her a sympathetic smile. It was pretty hard because I was trying to hold in my fits of laughter, but I managed to keep it together. I mean, that's what best friends are for, right?

Then I heard the laughter. According to Mia, the answer to that question is, _No._

Lissa looked taken aback for a second before a sly smile crept over her expression. "Guess what, Mia?" she asked innocently.

"W-what?" Mia choked out between her giggles.

"I saw Eddie out there too."

Mia instantly sobered up, giving Lissa the satisfaction of revenge. Meanwhile, I was thinking, _Oops. We kinda left Eddie on his own earlier. I hope he's not so pissed that he'll ruin the plan._

I immediately outlined my concerns, but Lissa and Mia dismissed them, so I decided not to worry about it. Eddie was Mia's problem. I had to focus on getting Belikov. And maybe Tasha.

"Hey," I said to the other two. "Who gets to exact revenge on Tasha?"

Lissa and Mia looked at each other and then Mia spoke up.

"Rose, since it was you that Tasha hurt, we think it should be you to humiliate her. But, if the chance arises, and you're OK with it, any one of us should jump at the chance and humiliate her. Hopefully, though, you'll be the one to do the deed."

"That's what she said!" Lissa yelled, before blushing and hiding behind her hair. "That was kinda loud, wasn't it?" she asked.

"Yup," I nodded, and Mia agreed whole-heartedly.

Butterflies were dancing in my stomach, and I just wanted to get started, so I said to Liss, "Let's get this show on the road."

Both Lissa and Mia nodded their agreement and I began to check my hair and make-up. Once all of our lipstick had been re-applied and our hair perfected to the max, we checked our purses to make sure we had everything, and stepped out of the tree's shadows.

I made my way towards the hot tubs, making sure that my hips were swaying provocatively in time to the beat of the music. I unclasped my purse and pulled out my favourite pair of Ray-Bans. I looked over to the deckchairs now that no one could see the direction I was looking in, and I took satisfaction in Belikov watching me open-mouthed. I looked closer and was shocked to see lust (Ok maybe I wasn't shocked to see that. I mean, I looked damn fine tonight!) And was that… longing and regret? Now, those I was shocked to see.

Although I was shocked, I still managed to carry on the plan perfectly with no signs of hesitation. I bent over, undoing the straps on my shoes. Belikov's eyes were wide and glazed over, his mouth was hanging open, and the brunette he was flirting with was now long forgotten. I slipped the shoes off of my feet, straightened up, and walked over to the deckchairs. I put my shoes and purse on the chair and glanced over at Belikov. He was still entranced, as were all the guys Tasha was trying to flirt with. Tasha looked in my direction, took in my appearance and scowled. I struggled to hold in my grin. _Take that, bitch._

I decided to get this show moving, so I slowly ran my hands down my body until they reached the hem of my dress. Every male there gulped. I grasped the hem of my dress lightly in each hand and slowly pulled it up. When it reached the top of my ass, I felt the stares of the people around me intensify. This made me grin to myself.

I pulled the dress up even higher, showing off my bikini bottoms, which were tight and hung low on my hips. I kept on going and my flat, toned, tan stomach and hourglass hips and waist were now on show. I could practically hear all of the guys salivating.

I heard deep-throated moans when I pulled the dress up and over my head, showing off the tops of my full breasts. I glanced at Belikov and his eyes were wide and staring, even more glazed over with lust and longing than before, and it looked like he was having a hard time remembering to breath. I turned to face his direction and he swallowed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. _Shit. That was hot. _I thought. _Crap. I shouldn't be thinking that. _

I mentally shook myself and made myself focus on the task at hand. Behind my glasses, I turned my gaze from calculating to provocative and sultry. Once I had done this, I took my Ray-Bans off and laid them on top of my dress.

I walked over to the VIP hot tub, swaying my hips. The dhampir checking the people getting into the VIP tub had the required authority and clearance to be called VIP was definitely checking me out. When I reached him he could barely stutter out the question of wanting to see my ID card. I showed him my card, thanked him, and slid slowly into the tub. The hot water felt gorgeous on my skin and I was grateful that not many other people were in the tub as well.

I sat down on a comfortable seat set into the marble of the tub and relaxed as much as a Guardian could. Which wasn't very much. I closed my eyes and laid my head back against the side of the tub. Everything was fine until I felt someone else sit on the seat next to me. I opened my eyes and turned my head sideways.

_Belikov. Crap._

**OK, there's Chapter 5 for you. Please review and favourite and everything else like that. I'll try and update on Wednesday but I'm not making any promises. Just to let you know, if you want to be my Beta, please PM me or tell me in a review!**

**Thanks, Little-Miss-Badass.**


	6. Then There Was Only Black

**Hey people of FanFiction! I know I've not updated in ages, but I now have 9 weeks of summer holidays, so expect at least three updates a week! If I can't update for some reason, I will say so on my profile, and I'll tell you why as well. I've really worked hard on this chapter, to say sorry for not updating. That's also why I've decided to use different POV's and not have it all Rose's. Oh, and one more thing. I promise that the chapters from here on out will be longer, and with different POV's. Just so you know, I plan to include tonnes of romance in this- just bear with me! Anyway, on with something I've been wanting to do for ages. And that is…. To thank all you guys! Here goes!**

**Thank-you to all of my fantastic reviewers!**

**Bad-ass God **

**Aphrodite Le Rouge **

**VampGirl4EverandEver**

** Belikov**

**BloodyXfangs**

**Loventherussian17**

**Roseskyangel**

**UnderworldVampirePrincess**

**ElEnA-NeNa**

**Cuteorama**

**Sunayna4sho **

**Gopherluv **

**Abbey-hathaway**

**Fang Is MINE Ladies**

**Cherryblossom1031 **

**Sandra**

**Moonchilde**

**My 2 Guys**

**Kimmy32**

**XxDeadlyBlackRosexX**

**DimkasDhampirx**

**Caza101**

**Sexy Duck Face**

**IVASHKOVMELLARK**

**I Luv L-M-B And Sexy Duck Face**

**Thanks so much guys!**

**Now on with the chapter!**

Chapter Six: Then There Was Only Black.

RPOV (Rose's Point of View)

I wanted to look away, but my body wouldn't respond. My eyes were locked with his, and the sexual tension between the two of us was so thick, you could cut it with a spoon. He then grinned at me and actually had the cheek to wink at me, causing a hot wave of outrage to wash through me. How dare he flirt with me like I was just some other notch on his bedpost? _But that's what he _does _think of you, _a nasty voice in the back of my head whispered. _He does think of you as another notch on his bedpost. _

This caused fury to rip through me, blazing hot, scorching through me until my body was on fire with anger. The freeze that had locked my body in place upon seeing Dimitri was melted by my anger, allowing me to think clearly once again. Fortunately, Dimitri hadn't noticed the change in my mood, which was unusual. He was a Guardian, my soul mate… whoa… do not go there, girl. This guy used you. _Concentrate._

Dimitri was still grinning, though- hey, wait a minute! When did I start calling him Dimitri again, even if it is only in my mind? God. Even angrier because of this, and the feelings that I didn't want- namely jealousy, lust, love and want- I decided to wipe the smirk off of his sexy Russian face.

My moment came seconds later, when Dimitri leaned towards me, still grinning, eyes locked on my lips. I teased him by leaning towards him too, watching his eyes grow wider and cloud over with lust. I felt super confident now I knew I could still make him feel this way. Hey, it might not bee love, but I could definitely work with lust. Lust makes you vulnerable. Perfect.

Just as our lips were about to meet, I pulled back and slammed Dimitri's head onto the edge of the hot tub, pinning him against the marble side by his neck. He was suddenly very annoyed- I could tell by the way his eyes hardened- and he tensed his abs and pushed against my hand. I was a million times stronger than I had been back when I was a novice, but I was using one hand, and Dimitri, his full body weight. My grip was slipping so I swung my legs over his and straddled him. His eyes grew darker still, and his efforts in trying to escape doubled. Still it had no effect what so ever. Now it was time to get the show started.

I shifted ever so slightly, so any onlookers would not be able to see what I was doing- and there were a lot of people, Moroi and dhampirs alike, watching to see what would happen next. I pushed down onto Dimitri's body again, still without alerting anyone to my plans. I could feel- literally- Dimitri's excitement as he struggled against my steel-like grip. As soon as I was sure his excitement was prominent, I slapped him hard enough to leave a mark and jumped off of him. Dimitri stupidly stood up, obviously about to come after me, when he stopped, looked down, and froze.

The onlookers all followed his gaze and a collective gasp ran through the crowd. Then the laughter erupted. Everyone, everywhere, was laughing so hard none of them could actually breathe. Literally. Some people were turning blue. Dimitri blushed and grabbed a towel off of the nearest deck chair, covering himself up. But the damage was done. Everyone had seen what I could do to him. It had turned him into a laughing stock.

I sauntered over to the deck chair where I had left my purse and clothes and pulled out my phone. I unlocked the screen and tapped to my messages. Lissa had sent me a message telling me that Sparky had been dealt with, and that I should meet her over at the indoor bar as soon as possible. I dried myself off with a towel, shimmied into my dress, strapped on my shoes, picked up my purse and phone and walked off towards the door leading inside.

Once I was indoors, I sashayed my way across the dance floor, swinging my hips as I made my way to the bar. I scanned the bar stools and found a flushed Lissa sitting on one with a bottle of water in her hand.

"Hey, Liss." I greeted.

"Hey, Rose." Lissa smiled and sipped her water. "Do you want some?" She asked.

"That's what she said," came a voice from behind me. I turned quickly and saw Mia standing there with a hand on her hip, grinning. I laughed at her and took a seat next to Lissa. Mia ordered a Martini for herself, and some salted peanuts for us to share, and then came over and sat on the empty stool next to me.

"Right, girls," I began as I cracked open the packet of peanuts. "Report time."

Lissa cleared her throat and sipped some more water before launching into her report.

"Well, once we'd touched up our make-up and hair by the trees," she said, "I grabbed myself a cocktail and went to the Arena, but-"

"What the hell is the 'Arena'?" I interrupted. Lissa rolled her eyes at the lack of my manners, but continued to explain.

"Well, Rose, the Arena is a massive dome shaped structure underneath the pool. You have to be Moroi or Guardian to a very important Moroi- say, a royal- to be allowed in. The Arena is a place for Moroi to battle with their magic for fun, without getting hurt. I went there because I knew Christian liked to play games down there."

"That's what she said." Lissa rolled her eyes and slapped my arm. "So was he there?" I pressed. "Sparky, I mean?"

"Of course. He was fighting Ralf at the time, so I joined the line of Moroi wanting to fight. Soon enough, Christian won the fight and the Moroi at the front of the line went into battle with him. He won all of the fights, and then it was finally my turn."

"Please tell me you won," Mia begged.

Lissa grinned. "Of course. You see, my powers have been getting stronger. The fight was a piece of cake. Christian got all hot and bothered, if you know what I mean. He was a bit- how do I put it- excited. Understand?"

"Crystal clear, Liss," I grinned.

"Well, anyway, he, you know, and then I just upped and left him, right in the middle of the floor. As I walked away, everybody was laughing. The only scary thing was that it felt good to humiliate him."

"That's because he deserved it." I told her. Lissa gave me a pointed look and I shrugged and winked at her. Lissa sighed and turned to Mia.

"Your turn, girl."

Mia grinned, and her eyes sparkled evilly. Boy, was I looking forward to hearing this story.

"Heed, children." She winked dramatically at us, and both Lissa and I chuckled at her antics. "Tonight was the time of the humiliation of Eddison Castile. The method used was the timeless Senior Prank method. Childish and stupid, but the most incredible fun." Mia paused, and then continued, but speaking the way she normally would. "Basically, people, when Eddie was trying to flirt with these girls, I used my magic to choke him with the water he was drinking. He looked like a dying fish. And there you have it. The end."

"Awesome story, Mia." I said. "Well done. Now for my story." I took a deep breath and proceeded to give them a recap of the night's events so far.

At the end of my story, the three of us gave each other a high-five, and finished our drinks and the last of the peanuts. That's when I saw him. Dimitri, I mean. He was walking through the door from outside when I nudged my two best friends. They both followed my gaze and nodded to me. Smiling gratefully at them, I jumped up, put my sunglasses on and strutted over to the back entrance. I opened the door, and stepped outside, relishing the cool air on my over-heated skin.

I didn't notice the door close behind me, but I should have. I didn't notice the way the shadows were thicker and darker somehow, but I should have. I should have noticed the atmosphere, but I didn't. I was too caught up thinking about Dimitri, my ex-lover.

I felt, rather than heard, someone sneak up on me, but it was enough warning for me to snap out of my day dream and block the first of my attacker's blows. Almost immediately, I realised my attackers (there were fifteen of them) were Strigoi. That was when I felt the change. The world around me slowed down whilst I sped up. My senses were enhanced big time. I was puzzled and confused at first, but then I looked down and saw myself in the same prostitute/ assassin like outfit I had been in earlier. This was Shadow Magic.

I managed to annihilate fourteen of the Strigoi- I snapped the necks of four, and staked the rest- and was approaching the final Strigoi, my fifteenth attacker. He lunged straight for me, and I took a couple of steps backward, preparing to parry his blow, when I stepped straight into a brick wall. Or at least, that's what it felt like. It was only when I felt two arms snake round my waist, like two boa constrictors. I struggled futilely, but my Shadow Magic had drained away, and I didn't know how to bring it back.

I decided to try one more time to get away; I took a deep breath and steadied my erratic heartbeat. One… two… three… NOW! I flung my body forwards and kicked my legs backwards. The Strigoi holding me captive dropped me, and I was astounded that I had actually managed to surprise him. Nevertheless, I took this opportunity and made a dash for the door, but I never got that far. I only remember hearing a whistling sound behind me, like something flying through the air, something hitting my head with a loud thunk, an excruciating pain, and then… well, then there was only black.

LPOV (Lissa's Point of View)

I was sitting with Rose and Mia at the bar, laughing at each other's stories of the night's events, when Rose stiffened and nudged Mia and I. I looked to where Rose was looking, and I automatically felt a wave of sympathy for Rose wash over me. The cause of this sympathy was simply the man that had just walked through the doors that led from outside. And his name was Dimitri Belikov.

Rose turned to the two of us and asked us with her eyes if she could leave for a moment. I nodded sympathetically and Mia followed suit. Rose gave us a small smile to say thank-you and then jumped off of her stool and strutted her way over to the side entrance. The door closed behind her and I sighed. I just felt so sorry for Rose.

I motioned for the bar tender to come over and when he did, I ordered a Cherry Cocktail for myself, and Mia ordered a Lime and Lemon Infusion Burst.

"Would you like these to be laced?" The bar tender asked. I glanced at Mia, who nodded, and then turned back to the guy. "Please. Double strength." The bar tender made our drinks in record time, only pausing to add the shots of blood into the glasses and mix it round. He presented the drinks with a flourish, and then swept away to serve another set of customers.

I had only taken a few sips of my drink when I started to get a headache. I grimaced and set my glass down on the table. Mia stopped sipping her drink too, and looked at me, worried.

"Lissa?" She asked me. "Lissa, are you OK?"

I was just about to open my mouth to tell her that yes, I was fine, when the most excruciating pain I had ever felt exploded through my head, causing my vision to blur. The room started spinning and the ground started rushing towards me. That's when a pair of tanned, muscled, arms reached out and caught me before I could hit the ground. Just before I blacked out, I managed to whisper the one word that might give the others an inkling of what had happened.

"_Rose._"

DPOV (Dimitri's Point of View)

After Rose had left me in the hot-tub, sexually frustrated and 100% embarrassed, I had spent my evening flirting with more pretty brunettes that meant nothing to me. Nobody could ever fill the hole in my heart that was Rose-shaped. Nobody could ever replace the girl I loved. Nobody except the girl herself. Nobody except Roza.

About an hour and a half later, I decided to go inside. Rose was probably inside, because she definitely wasn't out here, as far as I could see. I walked to the door that led inside, shaking off the girls that clung to me. They were worse than double-sided sellotape. I do _not _know what the Americans were thinking when they invented double-sided sellotape.

I scanned the room three times before I spotted the Princess and Lady Rinaldi (yes, the Rinaldi girl was a Lady now- the Princess had held a ceremony for the girl to celebrate her new title) so I made my way across the dance floor towards them. I desperately hoped that Rose would be with them.

I was almost there when my gut told me something was wrong. The Princess confirmed it when she collapsed and fell off of her chair. I sprinted forward and reached out, catching her just before she hit the ground. I looked around for Rose- this was her job, wasn't it? She wasn't there.

Then the Princess whispered one word that grasped my full attention: "_Rose._" The Princess blacked out then and I glanced up at Lady Rinaldi questioningly. She must have understood because she took the Princess from my arms and set her down in her chair again, and then pointed towards the side entrance.

I ran as fast as I could to the side entrance door. I opened it cautiously, but soon figured out that nobody was out there. Not good.

I took a couple of steps forward, and stopped when I stepped on something. Bending down, I picked up the item. It was a Dragomir chotki. The kind Moroi give to their… Guardians. Oh no. Not Rose.

I looked around franticly, hoping to see any signs that showed that Rose was still here, and just hiding. Not… taken. _Please, _I prayed, _Please don't let her be gone. _My hopes were crushed when I found a pool of congealed blood a few feet from the door, along with a plain white envelope.

With shaking hands, I picked up the envelope and slid out the sheet of paper inside. It was a letter. I read it quickly then reached back into the envelope. The letter had said there was another article inside it.

This time it was a photo. I took one look at it, and dropped to my knees. In the photo, my Roza was either unconscious or dead, bound and gagged, and cuffed to one of the Strigoi that was posing in the picture.

I felt people rush up to me, surround me, looking at the evidence, calling security. Minutes later, sirens blared, and the Court went into what we called Lockdown. The gates were sealed and every Guardian went to his or her post. No opening was left.

But in my heart I knew it was useless. Futile. I knew that the Strigoi had already left campus, along with my beautiful Roza. And that was when I made a promise to myself. No matter how long it took for Roza to come back, no matter if she still didn't want me when she came back home, I would be holding my breath until she was in my arms, even if she told me not to.

**Hey guys, thanks for reading. I really enjoyed doing the different POV's for this. What did you think? Please tell me in a review! I really want to hit 60, or even 65! I'm still looking for a beta, if any of you are interested. Oh yeah, one more thing- please review! I really want to hear from you, even if you don't like it. I'm trying to review on everything I read, so please do the same with this story!**

**Thanks people, I truly love you guys.**

**Love from, Little-Miss-Badass.** xxxxxxx


End file.
